An obsessive stalker who subjected a woman to thousands of desperate and abusive messages has been jailed for two years

As 28-year-old David Kightley was sent to prison, the judge told him he posed an 'ongoing risk' to women.

The court heard that Kightley, living at the Fairmount Hotel in Priory Road, Bournemouth, had convictions for abusing, harassing and stalking three other women - starting when he was just 15 years old.

The court heard he had began bombarding his most recent victim with messages just weeks after being released from prison for breaching a restraining order preventing him from contacting her.

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As well as sending over 4,000 Facebook messages in which he abused and threatened her, begged for her forgiveness and maudlin messages in which he declared his undying love for her, Kightley managed to track her down and travelled to her home town before being arrested just two streets away from her home.

Representing Kightley, Harry Ahuja said that Kightley wanted to 'break the cycle of isolation' he had found himself in.

"The periodic prison sentences he has been given has led to him becoming lonely and isolated," he said. "This leads to him contacting the victim again and so the cycle continues."

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But after hearing that Kightley was not considered a realistic candidate for rehabilitation, Judge Evans jailed him for two years.

"You used open source data to track her down, you traveled to her home town and after carrying out some local enquiries, you got to within two streets of her home," he said.

"Two months later, you breached the same restraining order when you bombarded her with messages. The victim did not solicit these messages, nor did she respond to them.

"When you were arrested in Bournemouth, you told police your actions had been 'anti-social'. You left your victim angry, frustrated, anxious and stressed. She lives with a constant sense of insecurity.

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"You told her if she did not respond to the messages, you would carry on contacting her for 20 or 30 years. She does not want any contact with you, and you ignore reality and you have shown only a modicum of remorse for your actions.

"You pose an ongoing risk not only to this victim, but to any woman you chose to focus your attention on."